No Time to Breathe

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In the busy hustle of life I rarely take time to breathe. I rarely take time to notice the small things in life I should appreciate. When is the last time I savored the smell of the coffee as it brewed in the morning and the warmth of the cup that I held in my hand? Or did I dash out the door with my travel mug of instant made coffee only to sip it once it was cold because Monday morning was crazy at the office? When is the last time I enjoyed the fact that I dropped my kids off to school watching them barrel out of the car with their book bags? Or did I rush them out because I was late getting to work? When did I notice the beautiful sunshine coming in the windows of my car or sing along to the radio while the wind whistled in my open windows? Or did I yell at the driver in front of me because I was trying to get to another appointment in record time?

Maybe in the hustle bustle of this whirlwind we call life we should take a break…a small moment to take in the world around us. I go so high speed that when I crash I literally crash with exhaustion. Not to mention the fact that I am a highly sensitive person who feels the energy around me and can be drained without even realizing. We often rush around only to find ourselves worn out and crazy because we did not take the necessary time to help ourselves. When I tell people to make sure they take care of themselves I am met with a snarky laugh as one could never find that time, but honestly we cannot afford not to. When I see people around me exasperated and searching to find themselves I have to sigh because sometimes I get caught right back in all that and forget the importance of it myself. I wonder if we were to learn to love ourselves and find happiness in the steady breath we breathe if we would have a different outlook on life.

What if we take the time to enjoy life before it is gone and we are passed on to another realm? I lean into the small yoga mat before me and I breathe in the crisp air…it might be Monday morning, but I feel everything but overwhelmed. I hear the steady rain falling in the speakers of my latest relaxation app on my phone. I hear the quiet voice inside me telling me to let go. I feel like I can breathe and I can think. I feel like there is a vast openness around me allowing me to transcend into a deeper meditation to understand the tranquility of NOW. No longer do I feel the weight of a million things on my to do list today. I do not feel all the pressure to make sure that I meet the deadlines or the rush to be a million places at one time. I do not feel the pull to make sure I am giving my all at work, yet not short changing my family. Instead I feel safe. I feel peace. I feel assurance that I am enough with all my imperfections. I feel that right now I can breathe. I feel love. I feel hope. I feel a calmness that I can take on the world if needed.

I might be hit with a ton of bricks when I step out into the world, but because I took time to breathe I will face it with a calm inner strength that will help me stay on top. It might take 20 minutes out of my day, but when I feel stressed in the middle of my day I can step to the breathe. I can find the steady in my breath when everything around me is unsteady. I can feel the rise and fall of my chest. I can breathe in serenity and peace. I can breathe out negativity and hate. When all else fails we can fall back on the one thing that keeps us going each day, keeps us alive – our breath. To the rushed and the hurried: Breathe. To the anxious and stressed out: Breathe.